Sometimes, we miss the truth when it's right in front of us. Sometimes the closer we are, the harder it is to see.
Jacqueline Simon Gunn.

Mystery of life has its origin in the
heart.
Hans Urs von Balthasar.

CROW HILLS TOWN
POLICE STATION
MONDAY MORNING
8:49 AM
SUMIL FLIRK

She couldn't sleep properly, the evidence they found was constantly on her mind and bizarrely, in the early morning when she dozed off, she dreamt about the evidence. But instead of Mr. Larkson's ear and Diesly's eyes, it was her own ear and Terrence's eyes, she woke up screaming and covering her ears.

After waking up from the dream, breathing heavily like someone who has run a marathon race, she decided not to sleep again, it was pointless. She waited until daybreak and take a quick bath before heading to the station.

She wasn't surprised to find FBI agent Roman sitting down at the spare table giving to him in the station. He was busy arranging pictures on the table and muttering to himself when she entered. Sumil stands idly, watching him, he must have been minds deep in what he was doing that he wasn't aware when she entered the station, she thought. Clearing her throat to gain his attention, she walk towards him and stands beside him.

"What are you looking at?" She asked.

"Good morning to you too, butterfly, how was your night? Mine was restless thank you," agent Roman replied, he continued arranging the pictures in sequence.

"Sarcasm doesn't become you, morning to you too," she replied.

"I can have some moment, am entitled to it you know," he answered, grinning at her, "anyway, I am arranging all the pictures taken at the crime scene, trying to understand the mind of the killer, what they all have in common, anything to point out the reason why each victim was chosen," he replied.

"Have you find anything so far?" She asked, sitting down on a chair opposite the table.

"No, not yet. Except the obvious one, which was Terrence James. He was at the scene of the first two murders. He woke up at the scene not remembering anything, it was the same at the scene of Mr. Larkson's murder too. Maybe it was luck or something but Terrence slept in the morning of Diesly's murder, which gives him a strong alibi," he explained.

"Alright, I have come to that conclusion already, tell me what else you have found," Office Flirk said.

"So I think, the killer knows Terrence well and he may have been drugged on all the occasions that the murder was carried out," he said, looking at her.

"What? I don't believe that," She said, standing up to look at the pictures arranged on the table.

"You don't have to believe it, it is just a theory. In the main time we should prepare to visit Mr. Lane and find out what he knows," he said.

"I need coffee, a strong one," she replied.

Checking her time, its already ten AM, the other officers will soon be arriving in the station. And soon the coffee shop will opened so she can get her much needed coffee.

CROW HILLS TOWN
JAMES HOME
MONDAY MORNING
10:06 AM
TERRENCE JAMES

He watched as Tibby continued to search through their music piles in the sitting room. Togan was busy playing a game on his phone and Talia was trying to weave the dog's hair. Watching them all seems to calmed him, giving him a sense of been content.

Both his parent are busy whispering in the kitchen, and one police office was standing stoicly besides the entrance door, watching all the activities taking place in the room.

"Tibby!" His mother shouted from the kitchen, "how many times have I warned you not scattered that place looking for your stupid album," she said heatedly, "when I find the album I will make sure I burned it," his mother said, entering the sitting room.

"Really, mom? You want to start all that again? I feel cooped staying in this house without nothing to do and now you are threatening to burn my album?" Tibby said, looking angrily at her mother, "you are really doing a great job of being a mother," she shouted, running blindly towards the stairs.

"Did you hear that? Did you hear what she just said?" Mrs James asked, turning to her husband.

"Honey, you really needs to understand her, though what she said was rude but you have to understand that its not easy for her," Mr. James replied.

"That does not gives her reason you be rude to me," Mrs. James said.

"I know, give her some times...." Mr. James said, interrupted by Togan.

"Am going for a walk," Togan said, putting his phone in his pocket.

"What? Not you too, young man, you are not leaving this house," Mrs. James said, pointing her middle finger at Togan.

"Mom, let him go," Terrence said.

"Am going for a walk, Juz come on let's go," Togan said, the dog stands up to follow him.

Turning to Terrence Mrs. James stormed up to him and slapped him, "its all your fault," she shouted.

"Yes mom," Terrence replied, standing up and heading towards the stairs.

Terrence heard as both his parent starts arguing, shouting loudly but he couldn't grasp a word out of what they were arguing about. Standing besides the stairs, he watched sadly as Talia run up the stairs crying.

He shakes his head, the day starts well enough with the family been happy and chatting normally, who could have predict it would end with both his parent arguing and his two sisters upstairs in Tibby's room probably crying their eyes out.

CROW HILLS TOWN
POLICE STATION
MONDAY AFERNOON
12:15 PM
SUMIL FLIRK

Opening the paper bag, she looked inside and sign heavily. The donuts finished at the time she was begining to enjoyed it. Who knows, donut could make you so happy and giddy, she thoughts.

"You are just prolonging matters with you sitting here since morning looking at the donuts like they are a hot men. Anyway, even though you don't want to go, I managed to get the search warrant for Mr. Lane's property," FBI agent Roman said, waving a paper in his hand, "Now if you are done eating the donuts, let's go, am eager to get some answers," he finished, turning sharply to leave the station.

Officer Sumil stands up slowly, dropping the paper bag in the bin, she followed FBI agent Roman quietly to the car. Entering the passenger sides, FBI agent Roman drives off.
**********

It didn't take them long before reaching Mr. Lanes house, she was weary approaching the building which stood alone on the property with a long abandoned vehicle with fade Greg color parked some meters away from the house.

The painting of the house was peeling, it looks as if it could collapse of too much weight is put on it. The field surrounding the house was overgrown. The entrance porch was dirty, filled with dust and brownish rain stain. One of the side louvers window was broken, a bird has chosen the broken window as its nest.

"This places looks abandoned, are you certain Mr. Lane still lives here?" FBI agent Roman asked, it seems he too shared her weariness to approached the house.

"Yes, am certain he still lives here,"  replied, looking doubtfully at the house.

"Do you think if we opened the door a rat may come out?" Agent Roman said, fear evident in his voice.

"I can't answer that, but let's know before we try to opened the door," She answered, summoning up some courage to approach the house.

She climbed the step slowly, afraid if she put all her weight on it, it may collapse. She walked cautiously towards the door, she barely raised up her hand to know before the door was opened by Mr. Lane, who looked at her disapprovingly.

"When do you plan on coming inside? While you were dwadling here, I have make tea and pour it, come on inside before it gets cold," Mr. Lane said, he left the door opened and enter the house.

Looking back at agent Roman who remn standing beside the car, she beckoned to him and enter the house. She waits patiently besides the door until when Roman enter before she called it.

"You make tea?" Agent Roman asked in confusion.

"Of course, I made tea. As soon as I heard the cad parking I start making tea. Its not every day I get visitors here," Mr. Lane replied, looking at agen Roman a if he has grown extra pair of head.

Sumil noticed the inside of the house looks better than the outside, the inside looks as if it has been painted recently and the chairs were in better conditions. She sits down at the edge of the chair, taking the cup of tea Mr. Lane offered her and muttering a silent thanks.

Agent Roman refused to take the tea cup or sit down, instead he was looking at the man intently, trying to grasp any thing suspicious about him or a nervous habit that may explain his strange behaviors.

"What brings you lovely birdie and this grumpy cat to my door step this afternoon," Mr. Lane asked, taking a sip from his tea cup.

"We have some questions for you," agent Roman replied.

"Alright, ask me." Mr. Lane replied.

"Where were you on Sunday morning Mr. Lane?" Officer Flirk asked.

"I was at home, sitting down at the porch," Mr. Lane replied.

"Does anything significant happened? Anything strange?" Agent Roman asked, not believing Mr. Lane's word.

"Well, now that you asked, something strange did happened." Mr. Lane said, looking at agent Roman for the first time since they entered his house.

"What was it?" Office Flirk asked.

"I was sitting at the porch, trying to count all the grass and how to cit them when I heard this heart stopping scream," Mr. Lane said, "I was angry as I heard the noise, only those imbecile teanagers would practice scaring an old man with a scream. So I entered the house and brought out my short gun," he explained.

"You brought out your shut gun?" Agent Roman asked.

"Yes, I did. If those teenagers think they can scared me with scream, I planed to scared them with two rounds of shot." He explain, "So I came back outside with the gun, sitting down again. But then suddenly I heard another scream, this one was different than the first one, and it was closer to my abandoned vehicle over there," Mr. Lane said, pointing towards the general direction of the vehicle. " I know there were three of them from the voices, so I stand up and raise the gun to take the warning shot, but right at that moment everything becomes silent. I just decided to fired the two round shots, just so that whoever they are, they would know I am not enjoying their disturbance,"

"Do you know who the teenagers were?" Officer Flirk asked.

Mr. Lane shakes his head, explaining he didn't know who they were and he assumed they left his property as soon as he fired the shots.

Though unconsciously officer Sumil already guessed the identity of two of the teenagers, but who was the third person?
**********

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